Textile ring and lubrication therefor



J. R. MULHOLLAND 2,905,269

TEXTILE RING AND LUBRICATION THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 22, 1959 Filed Oct. -31, 1955 INVENTOR. JAMES E- NUl/fOlZA/VD.

BY RIC/1E), wnrrs, EDGE/PTONJ NSNE/VA/Y 44%.. u A 779 NEYS Sept. 22, 1959 J. R. MULHOLLAND 2,905,269

TEXTILE RING AND LUBRICATION THEREFOR Filed Oct. 31, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r I f l I K I L $955 ks!" m r /0 i I I INVENTOR. JANA-'5 R-NUAf/OlL/M/D '{M cl V m 2,;

A770 VE'YS rolls.

TEXTILE RING AND LUBRICATION Tl-EREFOR James R. Mulholland, University Heights, Ohio Application October 31, 1955, Serial No. 543,953

7 Claims. (Cl. 1847) This invention relates to textile rings and, more particularly, to a lubricated textile ring for spinning or twisting to provide for higher speed of traveler operation, longer traveler life and an improved textile prod uct.

Reference is made to my United States Patent Re. 23,- 402 and to my United States Patent 2,831,314.

Textile rings currently used may be classified as hor zontal rings or vertical rings. The horizontal ring is commonly used for the spinning of cotton and may also be characterized as a dry ring in that no lubricant 1s used to lubricate the path of the traveler on the ring. Horizontal rings are also used for spinning of woolen fiber and synthetic fiber mixtures where no lubricant can be tolerated on the textile being spun. Vertical rings have been used for the twisting of woolen and synthetic fibers and in many instances such vertical rings have been characterized as wet rings in that means are provided to lubricate the path of the traveler on the ring. In some instances the vertical ring has been lubricated by smearing the lubricant manually on the interior of the ring from time to time. In other instances the Wet type of vertical ring has been lubricated by mounting the ring in a holder which includes a reservoir for oil and providing a bore through the body of the ring to contain a wick which leads lubricant from the reservoir in the holder to the inner diameter of the ring so that a portion of the traveler may pass over the oil wick and thus transfer lubricant to the traveler.

The present invention rel-ates to the vertical type of ring and, more particularly, a vertical type of ring which is constructed so that lubricant is provided only where needed and only in the amount required and which will provide a number of advantages over the prior art lubricated rings. More particularly, the ring of the present invention and its lubrication is such that the ring of the instant application is well suited for the spinning of fibers where the presence of fugitive lubricant on the fiber could not be tolerated.

The problems involved in lubricating a textile traveler for spinning cotton are numerous and complex. The traveler is going around the ring at literally a mile a minute and during its travel is subjected to forces imposed by the pull of the yarn and to centrifugal force resulting from its high speed circular path of travel. The direction of the pull of the yarn is continuously changing due to the vertical traverse of the rail with respect to the spindles and to the constantly changing size of the package being wound on the spindle. The pull imposed by the yarn also varies due to motes or imperfections in the yarn, the natural wax in the yarn and variations in speed of the spindle and the drafting Other forces adversely affecting the traveler motion are developed by air currents set up by the rotating package on the spindle and by lint and lint removal devices.

Patented Sept. 22, 1959 Attempts to lubricate a ring for spinning cotton have included the use of lubricant wick openings on the ring in the path of the traveler and supplying such wicks with oil from a reservoir near the ring. The efforts to use such prior art lubricated rings for spinning cotton have not been successful and have not been adopted commercially by the cotton spinning industry. Prior to the introduction of the ring of the present invention, commercial cotton spinning was restricted substantially to the use of a non-lubricated ring of the horizontal type. It was found that the limited traveler life and other undesirable characteristics of the dry horizontal ring were less objectionable than the prior art wet or lubricated rings for spinning cotton. Commercial use of vertical rings for spinning has been limited substantially to the spinning of woolen fibers where the presence of fugitive oil on the fiber may be tolerated. Since diiferent types and sizes of rings and different spindle speeds have heretofore been required for spinning and twisting respectively, the mills have had difficulty in balancing the cotton output of the spinning and twisting equipment.

It is among the advantages of the present invention that no change in the mill is required to convert from spinning to twisting or vice versa. With the present invention it is only necessary to replace the light spinning traveler with a heavier twisting traveler and to feed the two strands to be twisted down to the ring without drafting in the rolls. Thus frames currently used for spinning may be quickly converted to twisting without modification of the mill.

The need for a ring which would permit such ready conversion from twisting to spinning or from spinning to twisting in cotton has long existed. It is not new with applicant to propose or suggest that a vertical twisting ring may also be used for spinning. Numerous prior art patents disclose structures which are claimed to be adapted for use either in spinning or twisting. Many of such prior art devices propose that the traveler should traverse a wick opening as it moves around the ring and it is intended that the traveler should pick up enough lubricant as it traverses the wick to lubricate the traveler until it again reaches a wick opening. It is found, however, that in such prior art devices centrifugal force acting on such lubricant throws the lubricant oil of the traveler onto the fiber. Another disadvantage of such prior art devices is that the flow of the lubricant to the wick continues whether or not the traveler is in motion with the result that the wick openings drip oil when the mill is idle. The rate of fiow also varies depending upon the head or quantity of the oil in the reservoir. Thus more oil is fed when the reservoir is full and more oil thrown off by the traveler than when the reservoir is empty.

Other disadvantages of the wick opening lubrication for a ring are due to linting wherein lint particles adhere to the traveler because of the excess lubricant thereon and thereafter pack into the oil wick opening. Although such disadvantages appear to grow out of the introduction of more oil to the wick openings than is required to lubricate the path of the traveler on the ring, attempts to reduce the amount of lubricant at the wick openings have resulted in burning 05: the traveler due to lack of lubricant.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a ring which will retain the advantages with respect to high frequency vibration dampening as set forth in my United States Patent No. Re. 23,402 and which will at the same time use the bearing liner disclosed in said patent as a part of a lubrication means for the ring and wherein the ring is so constructed and lubricated that the traveler will ride in a vertical position with the upper hook of the traveler free of contact with the upper rim of the ring.

It is an object of my invention to provide a textile ring which will provide a uniform supply of lubricant available to the traveler throughout its circular path in response to the action of the traveler on the ring.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a textile ring having a bearing liner and a lubricant wick chamber within the ring in back of the bearing liner and an oil reservoir separated from and below the level of the wick chamber and wick conduits connecting the reservoir and the chamber so that lubricant is conducted upwardly from the reservoir to the wick chamber and from the wick chamber to the inner diameter of the ring.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a textile rail having a depending flange with an elongated lubricant reservoir at the underside of the rail inside of the flange, and plurality of lubricant conduits leading from the reservoir to a like plurality of rings wherein each ring is provided with a lubricant chamber above the level of the lubricant in the reservoir.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a textile ring having a lubricant channel formed on the inner face of the ring and wherein a wick is arranged in the channel and compressed therein by a bearing material liner so that lubricant from the wick is transferred to the traveler in minute quantities as the traveler engages the bearing liner.

Other objects and advantages relating to higher speeds of operation, longer traveler life, and an improved textile product will appear from the following description and the appended drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a textile rail made according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated at 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the ring showing the position of the traveler in operation and the details of the wick arrangement in the ring;

Fig. 4 is an elevation with parts in section showing the mounting of the lubricant reservoir on the inside of the rail flange;

Fig. 5 is a plan view looking from the underside of the rail; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated at 66 of Fig. 5.

I have illustrated my invention in the environment of a spinning frame wherein a rail section is provided with ten spinning rings. The rail indicated in its entirety as at 5 is provided with a horizontal top portion 6, a depending front flange 7 and dependent rear flange 8. The rings as indicated at 30 are spaced along the length of the rail and the rail top portion is apertured as at 9 to receive the rings. An elongated lubricant reservoir indicated in its entirety as at 16 is mounted under the rail and inside of the front flange 7. Preferably the reservoir is of rectangular cross-section and its length is slightly less than the length of the rail so that it may be attached to the flange 7 as illustrated in Fig. 4. The body of the reservoir is provided with a flattened portlon 16a at each end and is secured to the inside of the rail 7 by self tapping screws or bolts indicated at 18. The top wall of the reservoir is provided with an air vent and overflow opening 19 and a filler pipe 17 projects upwardly of the reservoir through an opening in the top portion 6 of the rail. The projecting upper end of the filler pipe 17 is provided with a cap 10 having a dip stick 11 secured thereto and depending to the bottom of the reservoir 16.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the rails such as 5 are maintained level in the mill and during the operation of the mill are raised and lowered so as to traverse the height of the spindles which are surrounded by the rings 30. The reservoir 16 is mounted on the rail so as to be parallel with the flange 7 and thus maintain the body of lubricant in the reservoir horizontal.

The vent 19 facilitates the exhaust of air from the reservoir 16 as it is being filled and also insures that there will be no lubricant head in the pipe 17 when the reservoir is filled. The importance of keeping the liquid level below the vent 19 will be appreciated as the description proceeds.

The ring 30 provides a body having an upper rim 32 which is adapted to be embraced by the upper hook 34 of a traveler 37 and a lower rim 33 adapted to be embraced by the lower hook 35 of the traveler. The outer surface of the ring 30 is dimensioned to fit tightly within the opening 9 of the rail and a flange 31 formed on the ring overhangs the edge of the rail opening 9. Preferably the ring is proportioned with respect to the hole in the rail to have a tight pressed fit. Additional means may be provided to detachably anchor the ring in the rail. The ring 30 is made from a steel forging and is casehardened after machining. Prior to hardening the ring 30 is machined at its inner diameter to provide a reentrance channel or chamber as indicated at 41.

A Phosphor bronze bearing liner 40 is placed in the channel 41 so that the inner diameter of the bearing liner 40 is flush with the inner face of the ring 30. The channel 41 has a depth substantially greater than the thickness of the liner 40 so as to provide a lubricant wick chamber behind the liner 40. The bronze liner 40 is an imperforate annular member proportioned to have a close fit at the upper and lower edges of the channel 41. The liner 40, however, is not bonded or permanently secured to the body of the ring and the lubricant from the wick chamber is advanced to the interior of the ring at the upper and lower edges of the liner 40 as indicated at 40a and 40b.

A lubricant wick 42 made of a tubular cotton fabric sometimes referred to as sleeving, is arranged behind the liner 40. The wick 42 is cut so that its ends abut each other to form an annular tubular member filling the space in the channel 41 behind the liner 40.

A pipe 12 is secured in the lubricant reservoir 16 near the bottom thereof at an angle to the axis of the ring and may be soldered in place in the reservoir wall adjacent the ring. A similar pipe 13 is inserted through a bore in the outer wall of the ring near the lower wall of the channel 41 and is soldered in place at an angle to the axis of the ring as shown. A wick 14 runs from the interior of the channel 41 in the ring through the pipe 13, thence through a flexible tube 15 through the pipe 12 and into the bottom of the reservoir 16. The upper end of the wick 14 is preferably inserted in the channel 41 before the channel wick 42 and the liner 40 are applied to the ring. Thus the upper end of the wick 14 is firmly anchored in direct contact with the wick 42 during assembly. The total length of the wick 14 substantially exceeds the over-all length of the two pipes 12 and 13 and the flexible tube 15 so that a substantial portion, such as for example, one inch of the wick 14 is exposed directly to oil in the bottom of the reservoir 16.

With the arrangement above described, it will be noted that the main reservoir 16 when filled to capacity has a fluid level substantially below the bottom wall of the wick chamber in the channel 41. The maximum fluid level in the reservoir is indicated at B in Fig. 2. The vent 19 in the top wall of the reservoir 16 prevents the filling of the pipe 17 so that the effective height of fluid in the reservoir cannot exceed the level indicated at B.

The flexible tube 15 which is preferably an extruded vinyl plastic tube serves as an intermediate reservoir. During operation of the ring the plastic tube 15 acquires a fluid lubricant level co-incident with the level of the lubricant in the reservoir 16. The wick 14 inside of the plastic tube does not occupy the entire inner bore ofthetube.

I have found by tests that a reservoir proportioned as illustrated and used with a ten ring rail will provide about 6 ounces of lubricant for continuous operation of ten 3-inch rings for a period of more than three weeks.

The level in both the reservoir 16 and in the tube 15 is always below the bottom wall of the channel 41 so that lubricant is introduced into the channel only by the capillary action of the wick 14. It will be understood that the lubricant supply to the channel by means of capillary action of the wick 14 is not effected by a drop in the level of the lubricant in the reservoir 16.

The precise Way in which lubricant is transferred from the tubular wick 42 behind the liner to the traveler 37 is not definitely understood at the present time. It is believed that as the traveler 37 is carried around the ring the shank portion of the traveler due to centrifugal force exerts a pressure against the bronze liner 40 in the small area where the traveler engages the liner. Such pressure of the traveler and the consequent deflection or movement of the liner 40 pressing against the wick 42 may function somewhat as a diaphragm pump so that minute quantities of lubricant are transferred to the crevices 40a and 40b. Such lubricant may be picked up by the traveler contact at the crevices 40a and 40b. It is also possible that the trailing edge of the shank of the traveler creates a low pressure area withdrawing a minute quantity of lubricant. The lubricant transfer may also be a combination of direct contact and low pressure withdrawal. The difliculty of determining precisely how the lubricant is transferred from the wick 42 to the traveler 37 will be appreciated from the fact that such travelers are running at speeds in excess of 5,000 feet per minute and that six ounces of lubricant will supply ten rings for a period of three weeks of continuous running. Calculations based upon this amount of lubricant and running time indicate why the quantity of lubricant picked up by the traveler on each revolution cannot be observed with presently known detection devices. Examination of such rings while running under black light discloses no fugitive lubricant in the air surrounding the operating ring nor on the fabric being spun. I

During the operation of the ring the traveler 37 proceeds around the ring in an upright or vertical posi tion due to the construction of the ring and its lubrication. The lower rim of the ring has converging faces terminating in a narrow edge so that the inside of the lower hook 35 of the traveler bears against the area 33 at the lower rim of the ring. The traveler is free to tilt about the edge 33 as a pivot point or fulcrum. The upper hook 34 of the traveler rides free of the upper rim 32 of the ring. Stroboscopic examination of the ring while running indicates that the traveler shank contacts the ring and bearing liner about as illustrated in Fig. 3 and it is believed that oil picked up by the shank of the traveler is conducted downwardly of the traveler to the point of contact at 33 by centrifugal force.

It is a characteristic of the rings constructed and lubricated as here disclosed that no break in period is required and that the traveler life is more than tripled as compared with the prior art rings.

A further advantage due to the construction herein disclosed is that the count of the yarn being spun may be increased by changing the tension on the drafting rolls without changing the traveler. As will be tinderstood by those skilled in the art, when it is desired to increase the count during spinning of the yarn with the prior art devices, it is necessary to increase the weight of the traveler and at the same time increase the tension imposed on the yarn by the drafting rolls. For example, if it is desired to go from a number eight count to a number nine count, it is necessary with the prior art spinning rings to shut down the frame, remove all of the travelers and replace them with a traveler having greater weight. The tension imposed by the drafting 6 rolls may then be increased and the next higher count obtained. Generally speaking, there is a change of traveler weight required for each increase in count. With the use of rings according to the present invention, however, a single traveler may be employed to obtain more than one count increase.

To increase the count from eight to sixteen in one step according to the present invention, it is only necessary to increase the tension in the drafting rolls. One weight of traveler for example a 1 /2 grain traveler may be employed to effect an increase from a number eight to a number sixteen count. With the conventional prior art cotton spinning rings it was necessary to use eight different travelers and shut down the frame each time for each change of traveler. With the ring of the present invention one traveler covers the entire range from the number eight to number sixteen count.

From the foregoing it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is adapted for use with standard textile frames having channelshaped rail sections. No modification is required of the rail or other parts of the frame. The invention may be used in connection with a rail having any number of rings and the length of the reservoir 16 is proportioned so as to extend for substantially the length of the rail. For mounting the reservoir in the standard rail it is only necessary to drill a hole for the filler pipe 17 near the center of the rail and mounting holes in the flange for the attaching devices 18 near the ends of the rail. The reservoir may be mounted on either the front or back flange of the rail. In assembling the device the wick 14 has one end arranged in the lubricant channel 41 with the balance of the wick 14 depending from the pipe 13. The wick 42 is then arranged in the channel and the bearing liner 40 inserted. The plastic tube 15 may be then applied to the pipe 13 projecting from the ring. After the reservoir 16 is installed in the rail the ring 30 and its attached tube and wick 15 and 14, respectively, are pressed into the opening 9 into the rail. The lower free end of the wick 14 is then pushed down into the pipe 12 at the bottom of the reservoir and the plastic tube 15 is secured to the end of the pipe 12. The reservoir 16 may now be filled and the ring is ready to run. Although the interior of the ring 30 appears to be dry and free of lubricant when the ring is not running, a trace of lubricant can be obtained by tapping repeatedly on the bearing liner 40. No lubricant escapes from the wick chamber 41 when the rings are idle. The

lubricant level in the reservoir may be checked periodically by means of the dip stick 11 attached to the filler cap 10. Preferably a heavy Russian type mineral oil is used as a lubricant for the spinning of cotton fiber or mixtures of cotton and synthetic fibers.

Although I have disclosed and described one form of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that numerous modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A textile rail having a horizontal portion and a depending flang portion, said horizontal portion having a plurality of spaced ring openings, a steel ring in each of said openings having upper and lower rim portions adapted to be embraced by upper and lower hook portions of a traveler, said ring having a continuous circumferential channel in the interior face of the ring, a liner of bearing material mounted within said channel flush with the inner face of said ring, said channel having a depth greater than the thickness of the liner to provide a lubricant wick chamber within the ring in back of the bearing liner, an annular wick in said chamber, an elongated lubricant reservoir mounted under said horizontal rail portion on said flange, a filler pipe carried by the reservoir projecting upwardly through an opening in the horizontal portion of said rail, a lubricant conduit for each of said rings extending from the bottom of said reservoir upwardly through the outer wall of said ring and terminating in said lubricant chamber, wick means communicating lubricant from said reservoir to said chamber including a wick in said conduit having a length exceeding the length of the conduit with the opposite ends of the wick extending beyond the conduit and arranged in the reservoir and the lubricant chamber respectively.

2. A textile rail having a horizontal portion and depending flange portions, said horizontal portion having a plurality of spaced ring openings, a steel ring in each of said openings having upper and lower rim portions adapted to be embraced by upper and lower hook portions of a traveler, said ring having a continuous circumferential channel in the interior face of the ring, an imperforate liner of bearing metal mounted within said channel flush with the inner face of said ring, said channel having a depth greater than the thickness of the liner to provide a lubricant wick chamber in back of the bearing liner, an annular wick in said chamber in contact with the liner, an elongated lubricant reservoir mounted on the rail under said horizontal rail portion, a filler pipe carried by the reservoir projecting upwardly through an opening in the horizontal portion of said rail, a fluid level vent in the reservoir below said ring channel, a lubricant conduit for each of said rings extending from the bottom of said reservoir upwardly through said ring and terminating in said lubricant chamber and a wick in said conduit communicating with said annular wick.

3. In combination a textile rail, a ring mounted in the rail, said ring having upper and lower rim portions adapted to be embraced by upper and lower hooks on a ring traveler, said ring having a lubricant wick chamber opening to the interior face of the ring, an imperforate liner of bearing material mounted in said chamber flush with the inner face of said ring, an annular wick in said chamber in back of said liner, said ring having a bore leading from said chamber to the outer wall of the ring, a metal pipe secured within said bore, a flexible tube having one end mounted on said pipe, a lubricant reservoir mounted on said rail having a maximum fluid level below the bottom wall of the chamber in said ring, an outlet pipe secured in said reservoir, the other end of said tube being mounted on said outlet pipe, a wick extending from said reservoir through said pipes and tube to provide a lubricant supply through the tube to said annular wick in said chamber.

4. In combination a textile rail, a steel ring mounted in the rail, said ring having upper and lower rim portions adapted to be embraced by upper and lower hooks on a ring traveler, said ring having an annular lubricant wick channel opening to the interior face of the ring, said channel having a bottom wall, an imperforate liner of metal mounted in said channel flush with the inner face of said ring, a wick in said channel in contact with said liner, said ring having a bore leading from said channel to the outer wall of the ring, a metal pipe secured within said bore, a tube having an inner diameter exceeding the inner diameter of said pipe connected to said pipe, a lubricant reservoir mounted on said rail having a vent opening below the bottom wall of the channel in said ring, an outlet pipe secured in said reservoir, the other end of said tube being connected to said outlet pipe, a wick extending from said reservoir through said pipes and tube to provide a lubricant supply through the tube to said wick in said channel.

5. In combination an elongated horizontally disposed textile rail having a plurality of ring openings therein, an elongated reservoir mounted underneath said rail, said reservoir having a wall adjacent each of said openings, a steel ring in each opening, each of said rings having an upper rim projecting above the upper surface of the rail and a lower rim projecting below the lower surface of the rail, each of said rings having a lubricant channel formed therein opening toward the inner face of the ring, said lubricant channel being continuous throughout the inner pheriphery of the ring, in irnperforate Phosphor bronze bearing liner in said channel flush with the inner face of the ring, a conduit extending laterally and downwardly from said channel to the bottom of said reservoir, and wick means conducting lubricant through said conduit from said reservoir to said bearing liner, said wick means including a wick in said channel in contact with said bearing liner.

6. A textile ring having an upper rim adapted to be embraced by the upper hook of a traveler and a lower rim adapted to be embraced by the lower hook of a traveler, said ring having a re-entrant lubricant wick channel opening into the inner face of the ring, an imperforate liner flush with the inner face of the ring mounted in said channel, said liner having a thickness less than the depth of the channel to provide a wick chamber, a wick in said chamber substantially filling the same and being in contact with the bearing liner, a lubricant pipe mounted in the ring extending from said channel to the outer surface of the ring and projecting from said outer surface, a tube having one end connected to said projecting pipe portion, a wick in said tube and pipe said second named wick in communication with said wick in said chamber, and means to maintain a constant lubricant supply for said wick in said tube comprising a lubricant reservoir beneath the channel of the ring connected to the other end of the tube.

7. A steel textile ring having an upper rim adapted to be embraced by the upper hook of a traveler and a lower rim adapted to be embraced by the lower hook of a traveler, said lower rim having converging sides to provide a narrow contact area with the lower hook, said ring having a re-entrant lubricant wick channel opening into the inner face of the ring, an imperforate bronze liner flush with the inner face of the ring mounted in said channel, said liner having a thickness less than the depth of the channel to provide a wick chamber, a wick in said chamber substantially filling the same and being in contact with the bearing liner, a lubricant pipe mounted in the ring extending from said wick chamber to the outer surface of the ring and projecting downwardly from said outer surface, a tube connected to said projecting pipe portion, a reservoir mounted adjacent the ring and beneath the channel of the ring and a wick leading from the reservoir through the tube and pipe into communication with said wick in said chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,760,329 Albrecht Aug. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 533,302 Germany Sept. 11, 1931 383,074 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1932 695,886 Germany Sept. 5, 1940 

